Elevation Community Land Trust, the Denver-based nonprofit that helped Westside Mobile Park residents form a housing cooperative, is working on another affordable housing project in Durango.
Durango City Council approved a conceptual plan for the Lightner Creek Commons, a 29-unit development of 29 townhomes on 3 acres planned for 271 Twin Buttes Ave. along U.S. Highway 160, on Tuesday, Leanne Bernstein, city planner, said.
She said Twin Buttes satisfied its fair share program affordable housing requirements by donating the 3 acres of land to the city.
A city news release said the city issued a request for proposals for the development and selected ECLT. Twin Buttes also pays the city fees for real estate sales that are put to affordable housing use, and the development site for Lightner Creek Commons is the former site of Animas High School.
ECLT is partnering with Tributary Development to build the 29 modular units, and Tributary Development submitted a conceptual plan to the city for review and approval.
Mayor Jessika Buell, referencing conceptual planning documents, said the Lightner Creek Commons will be managed by a homeowners association with a monthly fee of $100.
The conceptual plan was reviewed by the Community Development Commission in December, which unanimously recommended the Lightner Creek Commons for approval by City Council, Bernstein said.
She said the townhomes will be sold to qualified households earning between 80% and 120% area median income, or between $88,400 and $106,100 for a two-person household in La Plata County.
ECLT tries to price two-bedroom townhomes at $242,208 to $302,759 for households earning 100% area median income, she said.
Councilor Olivier Bosmans asked how the city can be assured HOA and property fees aren’t inflated for future homebuyers. Bernstein said the city will create an agreement with ECLT to transfer ownership of the property to ECLT and will outline the conditions of that transfer that will apply in perpetuity.
“There would be a provision for essentially nonperformance if they don’t do the project as agreed or if they don’t hold to their side of things,” she said. “As this project progresses into the preliminary plan, these agreements will be drafted and then executed as we move on in that process.”
cburney@durangherald.com
